Because people buy from people.
Working for yourself can be hard.
You live and breathe your business every single day and, more often than not, you’re doing it on your own. It’s easy to become wrapped up in your own little bubble, so a few years ago I decided I needed to push myself outside of my comfort zone.
I was already a member of Women in Business Hull and Hull Businesswomen’s Breakfast Club which I adore, but just over two years ago I walked into my first The Business Culture HEY event not really knowing anyone or quite what to expect.
It felt like a completely different ball game.
The room was bigger, there were far more people and, if I’m honest, it felt a little intimidating. Believe it or not, I’m actually quite shy until I get to know people, and talking about myself has never come naturally.
Like many people at networking events, I wondered whether I’d spend the morning awkwardly clutching a coffee, introducing myself to strangers and hoping the conversation didn’t dry up too quickly.
Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
What I found was a room full of people who were genuinely interested in getting to know one another. There were no hard sells, no pressure and no feeling that everyone was there simply to see what they could get out of the room.
Instead, it was about conversations.
Over the last couple of years, those conversations have turned into relationships. Some have become customers, some have become collaborators and some have become genuine friends. That’s something I never expected when I first walked through the door.
As the owner of Elliegantly Made, people often assume I’m simply ‘the cake lady’.
I always smile when people say that because, whilst cakes are what I create, they’re only part of what I do.
The truth is, I’m in the people business.
Yes, I make wedding cakes, celebration cakes and work with some fantastic corporate clients, but my job has never really been about eggs, flour or buttercream.
It’s about people.
It’s about listening.
Whether I’m sitting down with a couple planning one of the biggest days of their lives, helping a family celebrate a special birthday, or working with a business to create something that reflects their brand, it always starts in exactly the same place.
A conversation.
I want to understand what matters to them, what they’re trying to achieve and how I can help bring that to life.
The cake is simply the end result.
For me, building trust has always been far more important than making a sale. If people feel listened to, understood and looked after, everything else naturally follows.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve always enjoyed being part of The Business Culture HEY. The focus isn’t on selling. It’s on building relationships. The business comes naturally afterwards.
One recent event, “How Business Is Really Won” with Tony Bowler and Bob Spence, really brought that home for me.
There wasn’t a magic sales formula or a revolutionary new technique. Instead, it was a reminder that, despite all the technology, automation and AI available to us, business is still built on trust, credibility and genuine human connection.
I’ll say it again…
People buy from people.
It’s a phrase we hear all the time, but hearing it brought to life through stories and real experiences made it land in a completely different way. It reinforced something I’d already believed for years and gave me confidence that the way I’ve built my business really is the right way.
I came away inspired, not because I’d learnt how to sell more cakes, but because it reinforced something I’ve believed ever since I started my business over fifteen years ago. The best opportunities rarely come from trying to make a sale. They come from taking the time to build a relationship.
Ironically, that’s exactly what happened after the event.
I shared a few thoughts on LinkedIn about what I’d taken away from the morning. It wasn’t planned, and it certainly wasn’t written with the hope of getting noticed. It was simply an honest reflection on what I’d learnt.
To my surprise, Michelle got in touch afterwards to say I’d captured exactly what The Business Culture HEY is all about.
That message made me smile because it confirmed what I’d felt from my very first event.
Business Culture isn’t really about networking.
It’s about people.
It’s about creating an environment where conversations happen naturally, relationships develop over time and opportunities grow from trust rather than transactions.
Looking back, it’s funny how things come full circle.
I walked into my first Business Culture HEY event hoping simply to meet a few local businesses and challenge myself to step outside my comfort zone.
Two years later, I’m writing this blog.
I don’t think there’s a better example of what genuine relationships can lead to.
Not because of the business I’ve gained, although that’s certainly been a bonus.
But because of the people I’ve met, the conversations I’ve had and the reminders, like that recent event, that no matter what industry we’re in, business will always be about people first.
Everything else follows.
